When you use an Apple ID on multiple iOS, macOS, watchOS, or tvOS devices and the settings are not configured correctly, you may have issues with users syncing business data with their personal accounts, or vice versa. You may also run into issues where data between iOS and macOS devices is not syncing at all.
The benefit of associating an Apple ID with multiple Apple devices is that it enables many great features, such as the ability for business users to sync their documents and folders between their Mac, iPad or iPhone; the ability for field workers to easily take photos and share them with others in the office through access to iCloud Share Photo Library; or even the ability to back up devices in the field with iCloud backup, so data is not lost if the device is lost or stolen.
Additionally, associating your Apple ID with multiple devices will allow you to limit specific features of your Apple ID and iCloud account on each device. This will allow you, for example, to have greater control over which apps are available on specific devices.
How to associate an Apple ID with an Apple device
During the setup process for your macOS, iOS, or tvOS device, you can automatically associate your Apple ID with the device. But in case you previously skipped that step or if you want to change the Apple ID associated with a device, you can do so by following the steps below.
On iOS, iPadOS and macOS
- Open the Settings or System Settings app in macOS from the Apple menu | System settings.
- Tap Sign in to {Device Name}/iCloud at the top of the Settings app.
- You will be asked to sign in with your username and password and authenticate your Apple ID.
On tvOS
- Open the Settings app.
- Select Users and Accounts.
- Select iCloud and then sign in to your iCloud account with your username and password.
Please note that you may have multiple Apple IDs or iCloud accounts that you want to associate with a single Apple device to sync email or calendars between multiple accounts. You can still add multiple Apple IDs, but only one can serve as the “master” iCloud account with support for all features.
How to set up Apple account components with an Apple device
Once you’re signed in with your Apple ID on a device and associated that Apple ID with the device, you have multiple options that you can enable or disable within the iCloud account. You may want to enable or disable Photos, Keychain, iCloud Drive, Email, or more on a particular device.
SEE: You’ll want to remember these tips when you change your Apple ID password.
To disable particular features of your iCloud account on a particular device:
- Open the Settings app on the device for which you want to change iCloud settings.
- Tap your name at the top of Settings.
- Select iCloud | Show all from the Apps that use iCloud section.
- You can then enable or disable certain features of your iCloud account from the list of available options (Figure A).
How do those settings come into play? There may be cases where a company does not want to sync certain data to workers’ devices in certain parts of the company. For example, a field worker may need to access photos from their Mac, but office workers may only need to access documents or other data.
You can choose which parts of iCloud to associate with your device, including Photos or Safari activity. In such cases, you can simply disable the Photos and Safari features respectively, which will disassociate those features with that device and no longer sync them with that particular device.
How to set Apple TV restrictions
On Apple TV, only a subset of iCloud features are available with your iCloud account, but you may want to enable or disable some of the components, including the App Store, iCloud, or Photos. It’s vital that business users disable things like storing personal photos in a business iCloud account or iCloud backups in a personal iCloud account on a business device. Fortunately, Apple allows administrators of managed devices to control this and more.
To make these changes on an Apple TV:
- Open the Settings app.
- Select Users and Accounts | User you want to modify.
- Change iCloud options in that section, including Photos options.
Apple TVs include additional settings that allow you to restrict the device’s access to an Apple ID. You can specify that an Apple TV requires your Apple ID password every time a purchase is made by doing the following:
- Open configuration.
- Select Users and Accounts.
- Select “Always” under “Require Password” for purchases.
As you can see, associating your Apple ID with multiple devices helps expand the usefulness and capabilities provided by Apple Store accounts and iCloud sync and backup, among other options. You may have problems setting up an Apple ID on multiple devices. If this happens, check out our article on Common mistakes when connecting multiple iPhones to one Apple ID.
